Kayan Burial Hut (Salong)

In the not too distant past, the Kayans of Sarawak used to inter ( bury) their dead in special burial huts called " Salong".  Today while visiting the Sarawak Museum grounds, I had a closer look at two tall Salongs, made from the hardest timber of Sarawak called the 'belian'.  Both  are at least 10 meters high and have been brought to the museum gardens from their original locations hundreds of kilometers away in the interior regions of Sarawak.

There was one that is constructed as a single pole and another as a double pole. 

( Inset is painting of a Kenyah warrior with his head trophies)

Single Pole "Salong"

Double Trunk " Salong"

This double trunk "Salong" was originally erected more than 150 years ago on the banks of Long Segaham, above the town of Belaga in Sarawak.  This burial hut was ordered to be built by the chief of the Kayan tribe in Belaga to inter his young daughter named Lisan.  It was reported that it took five craftsmen plus many helpers and five years to complete the carvings on the solid 'belian' tree trunks.  In 1973, the "Salong" were  presented by the people of Belaga to the Sarawak Museum.

Close Up of the "Salong" or Burial Hut

Above is a picture of the Sarawak Museum's original building dated 1891.  Over time the Museum authorities added more buildings, offices etc., to house more collections to cover archaelogical and anthropological  artifacts, artworks, etc., Today the Museum is a must visit place for tourists or local visitors to Kuching.

' Belian' timber and its many uses

Today I went shopping for timber to be used for renovation of my farm's office.  I was looking for both hardwood and medium strength wood species. In particular I was looking for hardwood species for posts and medium hardwood for trusses.

Our pick up loaded, Ati fastened  the sawn timber for security and stability. The distance from this sawmill to our farm is about 25 km.

Sawn planks of belian timber. This sawmill can custom cut belian from as thick as 30 cm to 4 mm, the later being  typical sizes for roofing shingles.

At the sawmill I noticed a good stock of 'belian' timber. 'Belian'( Eusideroxylon zwageri)  is the hardest of all hardwoods on Borneo Island. It is not subjected to rot or insects attack. It is so valuable that it is prohibitted to be exported.  Locally it is used for numerous purposes especially in view of its superior strength and longevity. I have seen solid round belian timbers used by the locals here especially the Kelabits and Kayans for their longhouses posts. Among the Melanaus who live closer to the coasts and literally build their houses on rivers, belian is the chief timber for house stilts, floors, roofing shingles, jetties, walkways, steps and stairs, bridges and even canoe hulls.  Among the Ibans, they use belian posts for pepper vines. In towns, belian timbers are used for wharves and even piles for civil construction purposes.  Among the women folks of all the various races here, belian made instruments are like pestles, mortars, pounders for paddy and some children play or games instruments.

A Penan burial totem

 However of all the uses of belian timber, I find the above to be very unique. It is a burial totem pole called the 'Kelirieng' amongst the Penans and this type of craftwork is also prevalent among other tribes in Bintulu like the Kayans and  Kelabit, though I must add that craftwork is seldom carried out these days and the culture related to the burial has been  totally prohibited for more than 100 years.

The burial totem is totally made of a solid belian tree and the above size is equivalent to the size of an oil drum. Note the intricate designs that are carved out of the hard belian tree.

The above is a slightly older picture of the same burial totem pole that I managed to pull out from my old photo album. The above 'kelirieng' is still standing in front of the wooden shophouses in Pandan, a rural town about an hour drive from Bintulu. Burial totems are a sign that the bodies of dead chiefs are put to rest there. The chief's remains are placed inside the totem pole . Notice the jar on top of the totem pole. The jar contains the remains of a young girl who unfortunately was sacrified to accompany the dead chief in his after- life journey. This practice has been disallowed since the coming of modern law in Sarawak with the coming of the British rulers. Therefore the 'kelirieng' is more than 100 years old, and so does the belian timber.